Population Genetics

Welcome to the Ag Experiment Station

Although much has changed in Nevada over the past hundred years, agriculture in
Nevada remains a viable enterprise which is an important contributor to many rural
Nevada counties. Through its extension and research programs, the University of
Nevada, Reno has a long history of identifying critical needs and finding solutions
that can meet the ever-changing challenges faced in our rural communities. The contemporary
issues faced today have called for multi-disciplinary approaches where teams of
university faculty can work collaboratively with citizens of diverse background
and interest in order to seek solutions applicable to Nevada.

For more than 100 years, the University of Nevada, Reno, a land-grant institution,
has had a deep-rooted, symbiotic relationship with Nevada’s agriculture industry.
The passing of the Hatch Act in 1887 gave rise to the University’s Agricultural
Experiment Station, which originally undertook research and education in horticulture,
forestry and other agriculture-related fields. The station occupied the second building
on campus, followed by the Valley Road Field Laboratory, offering the first opportunities
in experimentation. Today, the Nevada Agricultural Experiment Station operates as
part of the College of Agriculture, Biotechnology and Natural Resources (CABNR).

The numerous programs and projects conducted through NAES are living testimony to
the continued commitment by the University to the sustainability of Nevada’s important
agriculture industry. Our efforts include basic research utilizing new genetic techniques
to improve plant and animal breeding; applied research to find crops using less
of Nevada’s precious water resources; programs controlling emerging diseases, disasters,
invasive species and insect pests; innovative collaborations to better market and
finance agricultural products; and programs and research to achieve a balance of
uses and species on public lands.

Finally, we cannot overlook the University’s commitment to the education of our
youth, who are the future of the agriculture industry in this century and beyond.